A total of $13,000 in narcotics and nearly $10,000 in cash from alleged drug sale was seized during the arrests of four suspects last week by Essex County sheriff’s detectives.

Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that search warrants were executed on Wednesday at 134 South 7th Street and on Friday at 128 Market Street.

On Wednesday, Keith Dixon, 47, was arrested at his residence, along with Tonya Chavers, 46, of East Orange, and Elwanda Griffith, 51, of Newark”, Sheriff Fontoura said.

All three suspects were sitting in the enclosed front porch of the house. Dixon had two heroin-filled glassine envelopes in his pants pocket while Chavers sat before an upturned milk crate that held 51 decks of heroin and Griffith held 15 decks of heroin in her hand. All of the narcotics was labelled ‘BIG BOY’ in red ink.

During the search of Dixon’s residence, an additional 550 decks of heroin and 50 plastic jugs of ‘crack’ cocaine was discovered hidden in a vacuum cleaner. $487 in cash was also seized as narcotics proceeds.

The street value of the drugs is estimated at $6,500.

The three suspects were charged with two counts each of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of 13th Avenue School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of public housing. The trio were also charged with conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws.

Friday, detectives, along with K-9 ‘Donna’ executed a search warrant at a Market Street general merchandise store. During a pat-down search for officer safety of the shop’s salesman, Alipio Sanchez, 26, of Newark, was found to be in possession of 200 decks of heroin, stamped ‘MIAMI HEAT’ in red ink.

Our officers and K-9 ‘Donna’ then searched the store and uncovered an additional 450 decks of similarly marked heroin in a shoe box. A shopping bag, containing $5687, a second bundle, containing $3,139 in alleged drug proceeds, and an assortment of drug packaging materials were uncovered in the shop’s storeroom.

The street value of the heroin is estimated at $6,500.

Sanchez was charged with possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Renaissance Academy and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

All four suspects were lodged at the county jail where they await bail hearings.